Hugs And Drugs (2005)

Monarch

If Loftus only succeeded in one thing with their Monarch release Hugs And Drugs, it's confusing the shit out of me. Fortunately, they go way beyond that. Imagine a band combining some of the best elements from Level-Plane and Three One G. And how about that â?? that's exactly what Loftus does!

It's quite apparent that I don't happen to enjoy albums which begin with an instrumental track, but Loftus get away with it. Maybe it's because the opening track doesn't sound like it could be the theme song to the apocalypse. No, it's probably just the birds chirping in the background. Even the hushed sound of a helicopter in flight can be heard in this six-minute track.

"Survival Of The Lovers," the album's second track, contains neither birds nor helicopters nor any other sound that will bring you to a land of bunny rabbits and rainbows. In fact, it can only be described as spastic, chaotic, and intense. Said pattern continues up until the album's title track, where yet another instrumental appears.

Hugs And Drugs definitely puts Loftus on the "grind" map. In fact, to continue this metaphor, Loftus would be located on a seismic plate, drifting straight toward the center of "grind." The vocals are solid. The instrumentals are solid. The production is solid. There truly is little cause for complaint with Loftus, except, perhaps, their lack of previous releases.

You're really not going to know what Loftus is like listening to only one song. Turn the album on, let it entrance you from start to finish, then render a verdict.